That is the provocative question that Dr. Sankar Khan is attempting to answer.

“Some individuals are not truly one person, but two,” says Dr. Khan, who’s been conducting reincarnation studies in Mumbai, India, for the past 26 years.

According to Dr. Khna, a reincarnated soul enters its new body when the fetus is at an early stage of development.

“Usually a single soul enters the embryo – but sometimes two spirits, eager to be reborn, each elbow their way into the child.

“When this occurs, the body usually responds and the result is a splitting of the embryo into two, leading to the birth of twins.”

This explains why many identical twins, though raised in the same environment, are polar opposites in personality, he adds. In rare cases the two spirits develop a powerful bond and the flesh refuses to part completely, notes Dr. Khan. “This results in conjoined twins.”

And sometimes physical division fails to take place at all. “When the spirits are very different in nature this can lead to the tragic condition known as ‘multiple personality disorder,'” says the expert. “In these cases there are two radically different persons trapped in one body, taking turns controlling it – totally unaware of one another. In a few instances, more than a dozen souls end up crowded together in a chaotic jumble!”

Normally, however, two souls can co-exist harmoniously.

“Usually one spirit is dominant and the other remains dormant, asserting itself only in times of stress,” says Dr. Khan. “I estimate that this is the case of perhaps 1 in 10 people.

“A telltale sign of such individuals is their tendency to talk to themselves, as they consult their inner companion.”

Occasionally, the seams do show, he adds. “Typically, throughout their lives, double-souled individuals tend to be full of inner conflict.

“Again and again, they find themselves torn between two lovers, two career goals, two dreams of the future.

“Each of their souls pulls them in an opposite direction.”

Are you double-souled?

According to Dr. Khan, you are likely to be double-souled if you:

– Have difficulty making important decisions, swaying first in one direction, then the other.

– Talk to yourself often throughout the day.

– Are ambidextrous.

– Often find yourself in love with more than one person at the same time.

– Frequently “can’t believe” what you did the night before.

– Alternate between using your real name and a special nickname.

– Sometimes sign your name so differently that it is almost unrecognizable.